Naval Academy Announces 33rd Annual Bancroft Lecture

NOTE TO EDITORS AND REPORTERS: If you wish to cover Charles C. Mann’s lecture Oct. 7, please contact the USNA Public Affairs Office no later than noon, Oct. 7.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Naval Academy’s history department will present, "1493: Creating a New World” lecture by Charles C. Mann Monday, Oct. 7 at 7:15 p.m. in Alumni Hall. The public is invited to attend free of charge.

Mann’s lecture will focus on the effects of Columbus's first voyage to the Americas. This was a landmark in the human story, and also a landmark in biology. This voyage and those that followed reunited the hemispheres, in effect recreating that ancient landmass and mixing together ecosystems that had been separate for millions of years. The resulting environmental convulsion had such profound effects on the economy, culture, politics, and even the military that it is impossible to understand America’s history without discussing the voyage and its effects on the past and the present day.

Charles C. Mann’s most recent book, “1491,” won the U.S. National Academy of Sciences’ Keck award for the best book of the year. A correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, Science, and Wired, he has covered the intersection of science, technology and commerce for many newspapers and magazines here and abroad; including BioScience, The Boston Globe, Fortune, Geo (Germany), The New York Times (magazine, op-ed, book review),Panorama (Italy), Paris-Match (France),Quark (Japan), Smithsonian, Der Stern(Germany), Technology Review, Vanity Fair and The Washington Post (magazine, op-ed, book review).

The Bancroft Lecture series is held each year in October and was established by the academy’s history department to honor the founder of the academy, George Bancroft. The Bancroft Lecture series and is supported by private gift funds donated through the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation and celebrates the anniversary of Bancroft’s birth (Oct. 3, 1800) and the anniversary of the founding of the academy (Oct. 10, 1845).

Since 1980, the Bancroft Lecture series has brought eminent historians to speak to a mixed audience of midshipmen, faculty, and the Annapolis community about their research and the relevance of the historian's craft to today's world.

Visitors may enter through Gate 3 (Maryland Avenue – recommended) or Gate 1 (at the intersection of King George Street and Randall Street) and will be required to show a picture ID. All bags are subject to search. Vehicles without a Department of Defense or USNA credentialed driver or passenger are not permitted to drive onto the academy grounds. Visitors are encouraged to park at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (price to park is $5) and ride the circulator bus to the academy. Vehicles with handicapped placards or license plates may enter through Gates 1 or 8.